When is picosecond laser treatment recommended for sun spots?

Sun spots, also called solar lentigines, are flat areas of extra pigment commonly linked with long-term ultraviolet exposure. A picosecond device delivers very short bursts of energy that can break pigment into smaller particles for the body to clear. The clinician first decides whether the mark has features consistent with a benign sun spot; a changing or uncertain lesion should not be treated as a cosmetic target.

Suitability depends on skin tone, tanning, the number and location of marks, previous reactions, and medicines or conditions that affect healing. The result is gradual and the treated area may temporarily look darker, red, swollen, or crusted.

Arrange an examination before booking a session and share your history of pigmentation, cold sores, scarring, allergies, and recent sun exposure. Follow the clinic's preparation instructions, including avoiding deliberate tanning. Afterward, protect the area from ultraviolet light, avoid picking flakes or crusts, and use only the skincare products advised for healing. Ask how many visits might be reasonable, because the plan varies with pigment depth and response.

Seek a prompt skin assessment if a spot changes in size, shape, colour, or sensation, or if it bleeds, repeatedly scabs, or fails to heal. After treatment, contact the treating clinician for spreading redness, worsening pain, pus, blistering, or a reaction that is not settling.

Ask whether the mark needs examination or sampling before laser, what alternatives fit your skin tone, how sun protection will reduce darkening, and which warning signs should change the plan.